Monday, October 23, 2006

'06-'07 Quiz I

The last Red Sox player to hit a grand slam while a Democrat was president of the U.S. made his major league debut eight years earlier. In his first game, the starting third baseman for his team's opponents was a dude who used to do what quirky thing with his uniform?

Actually, I think you have the player correct. But that's not a quirky uniform thing, that's an equipment altercation. (Although you'll probably get SOME credit for this in the final standings if someone else beats you to the answer--an email to me with the player's name you're thinking of will guarantee it.)

If I were you, I'd keep the player's name off this space, and keep working on the uniform quirk, as to not let anyone else get it without having to do the research (or use their encyclopedic brain).

It had to be some sort of Nomar-ish nervous/superstitious tic thing, like pulling his sleeves up before each pitch or something like that...he used to swing the bat around his head really high to warm up- did he jerk his sleeves up before he'd do that or something?

Now I'm confused. AJM's second possibility, hiking up the sleeves, was NOT covered, as Matty said it was. But then Matty said "pulling sleeves up" which to me is the same thing as hiking your sleeves up.

The point is, you're both in the right balpark now. You'll both end up getting some credit, in the as-yet-to-be- determined scoring system. Actually, when I think about what he's doing, it actually could be considered a sleeve-hike. But just a little different. Anybody?

Between pitches he would sort of fold up the cuff of his front arm sleeve, not so that it was "inside out" but sort of so it was "outside in" if that makes sense. Kind of like "hiking it up" but really folding it up, but not like rednecks do to hold their cigarette pack. Kind of the other way.

Well, for what it's worth, just watched the bottom of the 11th from Game 3 of the 1997 ALCS, the only game I could find on line featuring our guy, and the only things he really does that I could see (thanks FOX, for not really featuring him) was that he taps each cleat once between pitches and stretches both arms out and up in a manner of "hiking up" his sleeves without actually tugging on them. Doesn't seem that quirky, so I'm guessing this guy developed his quirk sometime before (and gave it up) or after October 1997.

Oh, and in the top of the 12th of that game, McCarver predicts the future by saying "the Orioles left 3 stranded in the top of the 12th, and the Indians left 3 stranded in the bottom of the 12th." This all before one pitch was thrown in the 12th at all, proving that the genius that is Tim McCarver was and always will be, like the air we breathe, a cosmic force of certainty that will pop up even in the moment you least expect it, like a fart in church at a funeral. That is Tim McCarver.

But you're officially close enough now. Seitzer would pull down--often using that shoulder-shrug motion--the shoulder areas of his jersey, creating a big collar of uniform behind his neck and a whole lot of slack around his armpits.

So, to sum up the answer: The last Red Sox player to hit a grand slam while a Democrat was U.S. President was Manny Alexander, September 5th, 2000. Alexander's debut was September 18th, 1992, for the Orioles. In that game, the opposing third baseman was the Brewers' Kevin Seitzer. He'll always be a Royal to me, though. And he did the above thing with the uniform.

Points awarded (to be explained in future post):

(ryan) m: for getting the player right before anyone else, 1 pt.

AJM: For essentially getting the answer right, 1.5 pts.

Mattysox: For narrowing it down the furthest, 1.5 pts.

mighty q: For also getting the player right, and e-mailing it to me, 1 pt.

I recommend posting answers to the comments, to get your points onto the official tally-sheet and be eligible for the prize, which WILL be awarded this season!

AJM: Okay, good point. Too bad the points have been awarded. Still, not what I was thinking of so it wouldn't have gotten you much. Maybe a couple tenths. But the judges have taken note of your skills.